Silkie possibly sick?

[Kararae007]

I have a small flock of 20 silkies and showgirls. I spend as much time with them as I can and check on them before I leave for work and when I get home every day. They are from 4 months old up to a year and all get along mostly. Tonight when I went out to make sure everyone was tucked away for the night, one of my youngest hens was under the coop laying by herself. When I picked her up she felt very thin and kind of listless. I brought her in and held her on my lap for a while… checked for mites and felt her crop and just checked her out a bit. I didn’t find anything but I don’t know a lot about chickens. Her eyes seem ok, and I didn’t see any injuries on her. I have her in a cage inside now with water with nutridrench and apple cider vinegar and some food with some oats mixed in. What should I check for and what else can I do before going to the vet? She is tiny and she is a showgirl.

 

[azygous]

First of all, give this chicken some warm sugar water to drink. If she's lethargic from starvation, this will revive her and give us a clue to what's behind her condition. One teaspoon sugar to one cup water.

Check her crop for fullness and texture. A chronic crop issue can cause starvation. If her crop is still full when morning comes, she has a crop disorder needing treatment.

Is this hen laying? If she has been an active layer, do you know when she last laid?

Stand her on her feet. What is her tail doing? Is it perky and upright or is it low and flat and droopy? Is she fluffed up? Is there any discharge from her vent? Is there a swollen bulge below her vent and behind her legs?

Is she able to balance okay? Does she stumble and wobble when she walks?

If you can post a photo of her standing, it would help us to see her.

 

[Kararae007]

Her crop seems fine. She is not laying yet, she is only about 4 months old. Her tail seems up to me and she is fluffed, but she doesn’t seem any more than normal? I took a couple of short videos. I also don’t feel anything strange around her vent or see anything. She didn’t poop last night that I could see but then I found some in her feathers, but it also seemed fine. Not runny or weird in any way. Maybe I was overreacting and she was just tired?

 

[Kararae007]

It won’t let me post the video.

 

[Kararae007]

 

[azygous]

Post the vid to You Tube copy the link and paste it here. Your video will embed.